4 Reasons You Might Rent A Forklift

If you work in an industrial sector, it may well be that you’ll find yourself in need a forklift now and then. For some businesses, that might necessitate buying the needed forklift(s). But there are other situations in which it might be better to simply rent that equipment. Here is a brief guide from your team at Hi-Lo Industrial Truck Company on what situations might benefit from forklift rentals.

1. You need one on short-notice

Maybe you’ve experienced a peak in business, or suffered a break down in a forklift you do own, but if you find yourself in a position that demands a forklift, and don’t have time to be shopping around or waiting on a delivery, a rental is a great option that you can have right when you need it.

2. You want the latest equipment

If you use forklifts only occasionally, a huge advantage of renting is that you’ll be able to rent more up-to-date equipment, including the latest features for both efficiency and safety.

3. You have a controlled budget

Buying equipment like forklifts is expensive on its own, but things like unexpected failures and ensuing maintenance costs can really blow your budget. Fortunately, when you rent, your maintenance costs are covered by the dealership!

4. Saving capital

Renting often comes with “Rental Purchase Options” that help to manage the huge upfront cost of purchasing equipment, allowing you to plan and pay for it more easily.

Here at Hi-Lo Industrial, we have what you need when you need it, and we can get you affordable rental plans for forklifts in your timeframe. Contact us today to get started!

How Do You Know When It’s Time to Replace A Forklift?

Barring serious accidents or catastrophic mechanical failures that make repairs prohibitively  expensive, when is the best time to replace your forklifts? If you’re doing routine preventative maintenance and getting small problems fixed as they crop up, then it might be difficult to tell when it makes more financial sense to stop maintaining an old machine and invest in a new one instead.

For that, you need to consider the lift’s maintenance cost per hour of its operation. A new truck that requires $1,500 of maintenance in a year and while logging 1,000 deadman hours has an operating cost of $1.50 per hour. An older truck that logs similar hours but requires $5,000 of maintenance, on the other hand, has an operating cost of $5.00 per hour—its approaching the point where it makes more sense to trade it in for a unit that costs less to operate.

With all other expenses being roughly equal among the lifts in your fleet (and if they aren’t, accounting these other differences), tracking this number for each truck is the best way to understand the real return on investment you’re getting from each forklift. A good rule of thumb is that at $5.00 or more per hour, you should think about replacing your lift, but you should crunch the numbers specific to your business to come up with the best fit for your company.

At Hi Lo Industrial, we can help you service your trucks for their entire lifespan, and as well as help you find new ones when the time comes.

Let Us Find the Parts You Need

If you manage a warehouse or are in the shipping industry, you probably rely on forklifts for a lot of your heavy lifting. Having them out of commission just isn’t an option; it would slow down your whole operation. So if something breaks, you need the right part, and you need it quickly.

Take Advantage of Our Vast Inventory

At Hi Lo Industrial Trucks Co., we have parts and accessories for all makes and models of forklifts. Don’t try to track down an obscure part by going to numerous other sites. Tell us what you need and we’ll probably have it. If we don’t, we should be able to source it for you.

Visit us online today, and keep your forklift fleet running smoothly.

Protecting Your Goods and Facilities

Last month we wrote about things that forklift operators can do to protect themselves from making injury-causing mistakes. It also included a few tips to help avoid collisions with racks and shelving. But because forklifts are so necessary to working with large amounts of inventory, they have become the number one hazard in a warehouse environment.

In an effort to reduce forklift-related accidents, there are more safety ideas that you should probably implement. Here are three products that you can use in your warehouse to make it safer for your facilities, goods, machinery, and of course, personnel.

• Floor Striping

  Using floor stripes to mark out pedestrian lanes and other zones that are off-limit to forklifts can help to direct foot and truck traffic so that they never intersect.

• Column and Post Guards

  Any vertical structure that supports racks, walkways, or ceilings should some form of guard on it to absorb impacts from accidental collisions with forklifts so that nothing falls or collapses on workers or machinery below.

• Guard Rails and Bollards

  You probably have appropriate railings where there is a risk of falls, but railings can also be used to create barriers to separate your forklifts from areas that they don’t need to enter. Bollards can provide the same protection. They should be anchored securely to the floor and need to be spaced close enough together that a forklift cannot fit between them.

Take the time to walk through your warehouse and make note of any areas that could benefit from extra safety equipment. Using these precautions as well as the tips from last month’s article, you can make your workplace safer for everyone and everything.

Avoiding Forklift Horror Stories

There are a lot of videos and horror stories out there surrounding forklifts and the accidents that can happen. Watching just a few of these can put any foreman on edge. In a number of videos, a forklift driver hits a shelf a little too hard or sets something on the shelves that are a little too loose and they all come toppling down. In some of the stories, forklift drivers find themselves tipping and attempt to jump out. The machine tips faster than expected and they end up permanently injured or killed by the crushing weight of the forklift.

These traumatic experiences would concern anybody and could bring production to a halt. To avoid experiencing a horror story yourself, consider the following tips.

1. Make sure that shelving is stable. While shelving may seem to be sturdy and stand correctly when pushed against, are you sure that it will hold up to a push from a powerful machine too? Make sure that any shelving is correctly installed and that all hardware is tightened to ensure stability.

2. Leave enough space between shelves and racks. It’s fairly easy to leave enough space to walk through or to fit a forklift, but you need to ensure that shelving is far enough apart to allow forklifts to back up, turn around, and carry large loads through.

3. Properly train forklift operators. All forklift operators should undergo training and certification, but a refresher course will never hurt. Consider holding trainings quarterly or even monthly. Train forklift operators and safe procedures to follow if they find themselves in an accident. Also hold training for other employees to know protocols and procedures in order to ensure their safety and others while around forklifts and other warehouse machinery.

4. Keep up on all forklift maintenance. If your forklift isn’t working right and needs maintenance or repair, get it taken care of right away. A malfunctioning forklift can cause a lot of damage and can be seriously dangerous.

Forklifts are incredibly useful, but can also be incredibly dangerous if not used properly. Be sure to train your employees on proper procedures, make enough space in your warehouse, and if your forklift is in need of repair, get in touch with the Hi Lo Industrial Trucks Co. industry professionals for service, rentals, and parts right away.

Featured Forklift – American Eagle

Master Craft – American Eagle

This is the perfect combination of product range, price, and versatility in a forklift. If you are looking for strength, durability and quality, then look no further.
It can be used in such industries as:

• Sod Industry
• Agriculture Industry
• Construction
• Mining
• Oil Fields
• Rental stores
• And much, much more!

This Master Craft – American Eagle Forklift comes with:

• Standard Open 4-Post 360® Viewable Area
• Quick Apply/Release Brake Handle
• Hydraulic Controls Right of Steering Wheel for Quick Accessibility
• Industrial Seat with Vinyl Covering – Adjustable Forwards and Backwards
• Retractable Seat Belt
• Perkins 4 Cylinder Diesel 99HP Turbo Engine
• ITL 4 Speed Synchromesh Transmission
• ITL Limited Slip Differential Drive Axle

Get our own durable Master Craft American Eagle Forklift from Hi Lo Industrial Trucks Company by clicking here or giving us a call at (313) 843-6466.

 

Three Ways to utilize a Forklift

Forklifts are used throughout the industrial industry for a variety of purposes.

Here are few ways to use a forklift:

1. Movement of Materials – One main forklift purpose is for the movement of materials. Materials are loaded, stacked, and moved throughout warehouses to distribute or store product. Forklifts operate both inside and outside.
2. People Mover – Businesses can invest in proper attachments for effective forklift use. Forklifts lift employees up to check inventory, clean, perform maintenance, landscape and more.
3. Extra Attachments – Forklifts have attachments for cleaning or plowing purposes. They come in handy when cleaning up spills, plowing snow from a path, or sweeping floors.

For more information on forklifts, check out HiLo Industrial Trucks Co.. In the meantime, tell us about your favorite ways to use forklifts in our comments!

 

Maintaining Forklift Parts

As a company that thrives on forklift use it is important to keep forklifts maintained and operating at an optimal level at all times. This means keeping up on replacing parts when they are experiencing too much wear and tear.

Hi Lo Industrial Trucks Co. has a large inventory of forklift parts and accessories. Including trusted brands such as Allis Chalmers, American Lincoln, Baker/Linde, Caterpillar, Clark, Crown, Cushman, Daewoo/Doosan Daewoo, Datsun, EZ-Go, Hyster, Kalmar AC, Komatsu, Lull, Mastercraft, Mercury Pettibone, Misubishi, Nissan, Prime Mover, Sellick, Skytrack, Taylor, Taylor Dunn, TCM, Taillift, Toyota, Wiggins, Worldlift, and more.

To talk to a live sales representative call 313.843.6466 or online at hiloindustrial.com.

History of the Hard Hat

The hard hat is a given requirement for any construction site, warehouse or manufacturer. It seems to be an obvious piece of protection, but it was not always a given. Head protection was not required for workers until only 50 years ago! Imagine the Industrial Revolution without hard hats to prevent injuries. It wasn’t until 1915 when a company named Bullard started developing hats to protect miners from debris falling on their heads. These hats were originally crafted out of hardened leather and fit more like baseball caps, but the owner of Bullard mimicked the helmets worn in World War 1 and patented the “Hard Boiled” Hat in 1919.

For your warehouse equipment needs, look to Hi Lo Industrial Trucks Co.

3 Most Common Forklift Injuries

We like to promote forklift safety for all warehouse workers, and for your protection, here are the 3 most common types of forklift injuries:

1. Falling From A Forklift: This type of injury usually occurs when the forklift is not being operated correctly – meaning someone is riding on the fork. This may seem like a fun time, but can result in serious injury!
2. Being Struck By a Forklift: Lifts usually travel at relatively low speeds, so this injury happens mostly because it is being driven too fast and workers do not have time to move out of the way. It can also mean the fork knocked over materials or stacked of palettes on a nearby employee.
3. Forklift Overturning: By mechanical fault or uneven flooring, forklifts can overturn because of the weight distribution, however, wearing a seatbelt and knowing safety procedures can prevent any injuries should it tip.

Safe Lifting!